Agnessa Vartanova, September 2, 2021
Having the courage to make a job change can bring growth and insight for internal auditors.
I have been an internal auditor for most of my career, and from the beginning, it has been fulfilling, challenging, and interesting. Internal auditing has played to my strengths of curiosity, focus on continuous improvement, building risk assessments, and developing business relationships. I have enjoyed partnering with process owners, learning about their challenges, and highlighting risks and improvement opportunities.
Yet, one day early in my career, the company’s chief financial officer (CFO) asked me a question that had rarely crossed my mind: ”So, what do you want to do with the rest of your career, or would you like to be a career auditor?” It was a big question and I answered it honestly; I loved audit and believed in the value a solid audit team could bring to an organization. Just six years out of college, I felt I still had quite a bit to learn before needing a change.